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Old school managers have long posted the disrespectful comments of opponents on dressing room walls, to give their players an extra edge in the battle ahead.
And while Arsenal's Mikel Arteta may often be described as 'modern' and 'forward thinking', he knows the value of some old-fashioned motivation.
In amongst the psychology, props, flipcharts and tactical prompts Arteta employs pre-match, is an approach that every park player would instantly recognise.
Rendered to its simplest form, it translates as, 'they think you're s**t'.
All or Nothing has revealed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's approaches to team motivation
The second three - of eight - episodes in the series will stream on Prime Video from Thursday
One of the most fascinating strands in the All or Nothing Arsenal docuseries has been Arteta's team talks.
Seen by some as 'weird', they are unquestionably innovative and appear to provoke a reaction from the players.
Previously, we have seen Arteta ask his players to create a bubble of energy by holding hands and frequently sharing his own insecurities and fears in an attempt to help them relax.
In the latest episodes, which will stream from Thursday, we see Arteta cast aside the clever stuff and go straight for the gut – the pride of his players.
'It is still in my stomach and I have managed to keep it [there] for six months,' seethes Arteta before he sent his team out to face Brentford at the Emirates in February.
Arteta has been seen as a tactician, selfless in taking the pressure off players, but in the latest instalments of All or Nothing, he highlights the approach of other teams to challenge players
Arsenal were embarrassed by Brentford in the first game of last season, losing 2-0, and the Bees centre forward, Ivan Toney, had celebrated with a little tweet, which had needled Arteta to such an extent, he had saved it for half a year.
It was now projected onto a whiteboard in the Arsenal dressing room.
'This is Toney after the game,' declared Arteta to his assembled players, banging his knuckles on the board.
'When we played at Brentford, you know what he did, you know his tweet,' added Arteta, before reading staccato from the screen, his finger jabbing at each word.
'Nice. Kick. About. With. The. Boys. This. Afternoon…' read Arteta (who added the last two words for dramatic effect). The implication was that The Arsenal had been a soft touch and Brentford and Toney had hardly needed to exert themselves to beat them.
A tweet from Brentford striker Ivan Toney infuriated Arteta, which he showed his players
Arteta projected the tweet onto a whiteboard in the Arsenal dressing room ahead of the reverse fixture in February
Arteta is a passionate manager who is happy to use mind games to give his players the edge
The Spaniard wasn't having it, and he was not prepared to let his players accept it, either.
'So, today they play in our house, boys, and there is only one team on that f*****g pitch. And it's us. Only one team and it's like they don't play football.
'We take that f*****g ball, we take the game and we go for it. And we f*****g win this game. Let's go...'
Arsenal responded and won the match 2-1, with goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.
It was not the only time last season that Arteta detected a slight, even Manchester City, where he was assistant to Pep Guardiola, before becoming the main man at Arsenal, were singled out.
The Gunners suffered a painful defeat at the Etihad in August losing 5-0. They were already two goals down when Granit Xhaka was sent off.
On New Year's Day, City visited the Etihad and Arteta was forced to give his team talk over Zoom because of a Covid infection.
Bobbing about on a big screen erected in the dressing room, the coach cut an animated figure.
Arteta was forced to give his team talk ahead of Man City over Zoom because of Covid
Arsenal players stand arms linked over each other's shoulders as they focus on Arteta's words
Despite testing positive for Covid, Areta's team talk was an animated one via the Zoom call
'I am really sorry I cannot be there because we are going to go to f*****g war, today,' said Arteta, via Zoom.
'One thing guys, be yourselves,' he continued, picking up the pace and passion. 'I want a game with you face to face [with City]. I want to see [our] players confronting them.
'When we were at the Emirates, remember what they did...Three-nil down and with 10 players and they went f*****g putting [Riyad] Mahrez and [Raheem] Sterling on the pitch to humiliate you.
'Let's f*****g go for it, guys. We are a completely different team and to go from the first minute, think forward, act forward and play forward… every f*****g one of you.
'I am proud of you. Let's go out there and win this f*****g match.'
